The London airport that is up for sale after airlines scrap flights
LONDON Southend airport has been put up for sale after a drastic drop in passenger numbers.
The amount of people passing through the Essex travel hub dropped by around 90 per cent during the coronavirus lockdowns.
That resulted in heavy post-tax financial losses of £21.5million in February 2022.
All three of the hub’s main airlines Wizz Air, Ryanair and easyJet also scrapped flights in and out of the airport at the time.
London Southend‘s Parent company Eksen has said it is now looking for “the right buyer” for the business.
An airport spokesman said: “Ultimately this will benefit our airline partners, customers, local stakeholders and the region.
“Our parent company Esken is exploring a sale of London Southend Airport and initial planning for this has already started.
“Esken will look for the right buyer with the capital to support our new management team and our ambitious growth prospects over the long term.”
The airport is still in operation, with new easyJet flights to Amsterdam announced in January this year.
That route adds to the three other destinations the carrier flies to from London Southend, including Malaga, Majorca and Faro.
Flying is due to begin on March 29, with 18 flights per week scheduled to depart throughout the summer.
However, Ryanair and Wizz Air no longer use the airport.
The sale of the airport would include the company’s logistics provider Star Handling as well.
Southend is not the only UK airport that could be in trouble this year, with a former airline boss warning some could close down.
David Bryon, ex-director of BMI Baby which ceased operations in 2012, said airports like Cardiff could face more airlines scrapping services.
The warning came earlier this year after Wizz Air confirmed all flights would be cancelled from the regional airport.
Mr Bryon told the BBC: “Nobody in their right mind would look at investing in the airport as an infrastructure.
“Doncaster was carrying similar pre-pandemic passenger levels of 1.5 million and sadly they announced in September that it’s closing.”
He warned that unless airports can get above 2-4million passengers per year, it will be difficult for airports to “break even, let alone make money”.
Meanwhile, this small UK airport could relaunch flights this year.
And this airport could also have more flights to Europe.